Washing it all Away
by The Beckster
Summary: "It won't come off..."  "What won't?"  "The blood..."  Very short drabble, just a "what if?" idea that popped into my head.


Well ... I'm not entirely sure where this came from. I was just staring at my computer willing ideas to pop into my head so I could finally work on stories again. Then I started wondering "What would they do if Ayla died?" and this happened.

There really isn't anything behind this story except Ayla died very violently and with lots of blood. How did she die like that? I don't know. Why did she have to die like that? I don't know. Will I actually kill her in the future? I don't know.

For this very short fic she is dead as a doornail. This is only for this fic.

Please note some things before you read:

This takes place YEARS after_ Why did the Chicken Cross the Road?_ and when I say "years" I mean a decade or two.

I really just typed this up in the span of a couple of hours. (I took a large break to watch _It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown_) I checked it for spelling and stuff, but we all know how great I am at checking myself. So please excuse any mistakes. (Yah I know, I'm breaking my own rule by posting without asking someone to proof read it or let it sit for a bit. Shame.)

I never refer to Ayla by name in the fic, but "she" refers to my human OC Ayla Catagiry. If you are unfamiliar with her story, check out my fic _Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road_. If you don't want to, just know that she is a human very close to Sunstreaker and Sideswipe.

For remaining notes please see the Author's Note at the end. AFTER reading would be preferable. :) 

As always I encourage you to Read and Review.

Enjoy the sadness.

-The Beckster

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><p><strong>Washing it all Away<strong>

Sideswipe walked into the washroom, the motion sensing lights flickered on, the steady splash of water echoed through the empty room. Silently, Sideswipe walked to the last stall and paused outside.

"Sunny…" he called softly, "It's been hours…"

His brother remained mute, the frantic sound of a scouring pad against metal answered back.

Trying to siphon some of the grief from his brother's spark into his own, Sideswipe pulled the door open.

Sunstreaker leaned against the wall, frantically scrubbing his arm plating. Flecks of yellow littered the floor and Sideswipe could see patches of exposed base metal.

"Sunny…"

"It won't come off…" Sunstreaker muttered, focusing entirely on his arm. He stopped, let the water rinse his arm, examined it closely, and started scouring again.

"What won't?"

"The blood. I can't get it off. It's everywhere."

"Sunstreaker, stop," Sideswipe said firmly, reaching out and grasping his twin's arm.

Sunny visibly jumped and dropped the scouring pad. He locked optics with his brother.

"I can't wash her blood away," he whispered.

"Come on, Sunny." Sideswipe pulled his brother away from the stream of water. He turned around to turn off the water and when he turned back to his brother Sunstreaker was examining his hands.

"I can still see the blood…"

Sideswipe grabbed a towel and dried his brother's arm. "You washed it all off."

"I can still smell it…"

"It's all gone, Sunny."

"She's gone…"

"She is."

With a thud Sunstreaker sank to the floor. Sideswipe followed him, wrapping his arms around his brother.

"She died in my arms … Did you know that? I told Ratchet she was dead when I picked her up. She wasn't. I felt her last heart beat. I heard her last breath."

"At least she died in the arms of someone who loved her," Sideswipe said.

He held his brother in a way he hadn't for eons, pressing comfort into his brother's spark and taking the grief away. He was better at dealing with a loss, he always had been.

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><p>Author's Note (Part 2)<p>

Other points to note:

When I say "love" I mean a brotherly/sibling/family kind of love. as in "I love my brothers and I would be devastated if anything happened to them."

I've always kind of thought of Sunstreaker as borderline OCD about keeping his armor clean. He freaks out about mud and dirt, I think human blood would really get him, particularly his sister's.

I hoped you liked it. Please leave a review, I'd love to know what you thought.


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